The game of pocket billiards, or “pool,” has been a popular recreational activity for many years. Many different games have been developed around the game of billiards or “pool.” Pool is a game in which one or more players move a plurality of balls about a planar surface on a pool or billiards table in order to either position the balls on the table or “pocket” the balls within one of several “pockets” provided about the periphery of the playing surface of the table.
“Pool” or “billiards” can be played by one or more players. When one person plays “poor” or “billiards” (the two terms will hereinafter be used interchangeably), the person is most often playing to improve his skill at the game. When two players play, they most often compete against one another. In competition, players most commonly compete against one another in order to determine which player is capable of making the most, and most difficult, shots resulting in the pocketing of balls. When “billiards” is played, players generally compete to determine who is most able to position particular balls within specified areas on the table.
Therefore, in order to play pool, billiards, or pocket billiards, a player must accurately position “object” balls on the table by striking the object balls with a single cue ball which is, in turn, struck by the player with a “cue stick.” However, beginners sometimes have difficulty learning how to hold the cue stick to produce a desired shot. For example, beginners may succeed in hitting the intended object ball, but the cue ball strikes the object ball at the wrong point, so the object ball is not propelled toward the intended pocket.
Pocketing an object ball in the game of pool involves not merely visualizing an aim line straight from the cue ball to the object ball, but visualizing an aim line from the cue ball to an “aim spot” on the table playing surface, said aim spot being located one cue ball diameter distant from the object ball to be propelled, said “aim spot” being collinear with the line from the object ball to the pocket, and said object ball located between the aim spot and the pocket. This is so the surface of the cue ball strikes the surface of the object ball at a point on the peripheral surface thereof which is aligned with the pocket. Visualizing this geometry during game play can be difficult, and so players sometimes have difficulty learning how to determine the proper aim spot. Once the proper aim spot is determined, it must be visualized by the player. This can also be difficult.
Any device designed to assist pool players in determining the proper aim spot for a shot, and making that aim spot visible for them, would be most useful if it also: (1) did not interfere with the shooter during the shot; (2) did not interfere with the field of play; (3) did not require manipulation of the play balls outside the rules of the game; (4) did not affect the action of the play balls; (5) worked precisely; and (6) could be used quickly and easily.
The prior art contains numerous examples of player training devices, each of which is deficient in some respect as compared to the present invention. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,019 discloses the use of a cue stick mounted laser beam to identify the exact point of contact of the cue ball. U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,075 discloses a cue ball and object ball as well as illuminating the surface of the object ball at that point where the cue ball will strike it. U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,398 discloses an assembly and arrays of light reflectors attached to the table in parallel with ball-rebounding surfaces, said stick assembly including a stick and connected laser unit. For a straight shot the laser beam keeps the cue stick, cue ball, object ball and target pocket aligned. For a bank shot, as the cue ball is struck by the cue stick the laser beam maintains the stick, cue ball, light reflector, object ball and target pocket in alignment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,676 discloses a laser generated image directly on the pool table surface to outline a proper path for the cue ball to the object ball. And, Patent Publications 2003/0059752 discloses use of a laser beam generator mounted on the raised railing adjacent a playing surface which generates a beam projected on a point of contact on the peripheral surface of the object ball which, when contacted by the cue ball, will result in the object ball traveling to the designated pocket. However, the means of ascertaining the exact point of contact are not sufficiently disclosed in such full, clear, concise and exact terms to enable any person skilled in the art to which the invention pertains to make and use it.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method which, by repetition, conditions a player to internalize the process of visualizing the proper alignment to ensure the pocketing of an object ball after impact by a cue ball;
Another object is to provide a system which trains a player to determine the point on the playing surface which must be reached by a cue ball to achieve impact on the periphery of an object ball to ensure pocketing thereof, thereby assisting the player to direct the object ball toward the intended pocket;
A further object is to provide such training apparatus which does not affect the action of the balls in play or interfere with the field of play;
And yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method enhancing the ability of billiard players to visualize aiming principles and thereby increase proficiency in pocketing an object ball;
And yet a further object of the present invention is to provide visual cues to a pool player, or player of a similar game (e.g., billiards, snooker, or the like), teaching the player to visualize aiming principles for himself without use of a training device, thus improving the player's level of skill.